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Kenzie Kanazawa
Honolulu, Hawaii |Education = Le Jardin Academy |Alma = University of California, Berkeley (B.A.) University of Hawaii – Manoa (M.A.) |Residence = Prime Minister's Mansion, Honolulu |Party = Hawaiian National Party |Spouse = Kenneth Kanazawa (m. 2005) |Children = 2 }}Anne Mackenzie "Kenzie" Kanazawa (née Yamada; born 12 June 1980) is a Hawaiian politician serving as the current Prime Minister of Hawaii and Leader of the Hawaiian National Party since 2015. Kanazawa was first elected to the National Assembly in 2010. Kanazawa was born in Honolulu and raised in the neighboring suburb of Heʻeia. After graduating from Le Jardin Academy in 1998, Kanazawa moved to Berkeley, California to attend the University of California, Berkeley, graduating in 2002 with a bachelor's degree in political science. She later received a master's degree in political science from the University of Hawaii – Manoa in 2004. After receiving her master's degree, Kanazawa worked at the Ministry of Finance before beginning her political career in 2010. Kanazawa's political career began after she was included on the Hawaiian National Party ticket for the 2010 Hawaiian general election. When the party won enough seats, Kanazawa was elected to parliament. She later won reelection in the 2015 general election as well. Following the party's abysmal performance 2015 election, Prime Minister Donald Chao stepped down and a leadership election was announced to replace him as Leader of the Hawaiian National Party and Prime Minister. Kanazawa announced her candidacy and was later elected as leader, with many supporters wanting a change in Hawaiian National Party leadership from a young outsider candidate. As leader of the majority party, Kanazawa was immediately appointed Prime Minister of Hawaii, becoming the youngest of all-time at age 35 and the third female. Despite belonging to a conservative political party, Kanazawa has become known for her outspoken feminism, and has been hailed as one of the most influential feminists in Hawaii. In 2015, she was named "Feminist of the Year" by FEMINA Hawaii. Early life and family Kanazawa was born on 12 June 1980 in Honolulu to parents William and Betty Yamada (née Mackenzie), and raised in the Honolulu suburb of Heʻeia. Her father is a Japanese-Hawaiian, with his parents emigrating from Japan to Hawaii in the 1950s, while her mother is of Japanese and Irish descent, with origins in Japan and California. William works as a car salesman, while Betty is a high school math teacher. Kanazawa is the eldest of three children. Her younger siblings include Nicholas, born , and Jacqueline, born . Nicholas is an attorney, while Jacqueline is a social worker. While Kanazawa's birth name is Anne, she has been referred to as Kenzie since infancy, as a shortening of her middle name Mackenzie. Education and early career Kanazawa began her education in 1985 at Le Jardin Academy, a private coeducational school in Kailua. In fifth grade, she was elected vice president of her class. She later began high school at Le Jardin in 1994, where she was a high academic achiever and ran track competitively. She graduated from high school in 1998 as treasurer of her class and valedictorian. Following her graduation, Kanazawa moved to Berkeley, California to attend the University of California, Berkeley. She graduated in 2002 with a bachelor's degree in political science. After finishing her bachelor's degree, Kanazawa returned to Hawaii and enrolled at the University of Hawaii – Manoa. She graduated with a master's degree in political science in 2004. Following her graduation, Kanazawa found employment at the Ministry of Finance. She worked there until beginning her political career in 2010. Political career National Assembly In 2009, Kanazawa was invited by the by the Hawaiian National Party to be included on their ticket for the 2010 Hawaiian general election. The party ultimately won enough seats for Kanazawa to be seated, and she became a member of the National Assembly. She was later reelected in the 2015 election. Prime Minister of Hawaii Following the party's poor performance in the 2015 Hawaiian general election and losing their majority in parliament, Prime Minister Donald Chao announced his resignation as Prime Minister and Leader of the Hawaiian National Party, calling for a leadership election. Shortly afterwards, Kanazawa announced her candidacy in the election, with Jefferson Brown being her only competitor. Kanazawa and Brown advanced to a vote of all registered Hawaiian National Party members on 1 July 2015. The vote remained open for one month, before closing on 1 August 2015. The following day, the results were announced, with Kanazawa winning 65.3% of the vote to Brown's 44.7%. Despite being a relatively unknown politician, Kanazawa was able to garner support due to high-profile endorsements and the hope that a young underdog would be able bring change to the party's failing platform. After winning the leadership election, Kanazawa was sworn in as Prime Minister of Hawaii. She is the youngest Prime Minister of all-time, at age 35, and the third female Prime Minister. Personal life Kanazawa met law student Kenneth Kanazawa during the summer of 2001 in Honolulu. They dated long-distance for a year while Kenzie completed her senior year of college in Berkeley, California. After her return to Hawaii in 2002, they began taking their relationship more seriously. Kenzie and Kenneth became engaged during the summer of 2004, and later married the following year. They have two children together: Natasha, born , and Chloe, born . Kenneth has worked as a corporate attorney at a Honolulu law firm since 2003. Despite having some Irish-Californian ancestry, Kanazawa identifies herself primarily as a Japanese-Hawaiian. She speaks fluent English and Japanese, and also has an elementary understanding of Mandarin Chinese. She is a non-denominational Christian. Category:1980 births Category:21st-century Hawaiian politicians Category:Hawaiian Christians Category:Hawaiian female politicians Category:Hawaiian people of Californian descent Category:Hawaiian people of Irish descent Category:Hawaiian people of Japanese descent Category:Le Jardin Academy alumni Category:Leaders of the Hawaiian National Party Category:Living people Category:Members of the Hawaiian National Party Category:Members of the National Assembly of Hawaii Category:People from Heʻeia Category:People from Honolulu Category:Prime Ministers of Hawaii Category:University of California, Berkeley alumni Category:University of Hawaii – Manoa alumni